A strategic approach to public ... - University Relations



CHART: Building Blocks toward Strategic Public Relations ( Confirm chart name)

You are here [pic]

SHARED MISSION – END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

CORE VALUES – RESPECT/EQUALITY/DIVERSITY

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE – LEARNING ORGANIZATION

Chapter One: A strategic approach to public relations

“Mission describes the overarching purpose of the organization – the reason it exists.”[1] The mission of the Rhode Island Coalition against Domestic Violence (RICADV) is to end domestic violence in Rhode Island. Our public relations work serves that purpose – connecting many publics or audiences with our work to end domestic violence.

RICADV Communication Plan

Overview:

In this chapter we introduce our overall approach and define important terms.

Contents:

• What do we mean by strategic public relations?

o Chart –Strategic public relations tools

• What is strategy?

o Chart – A sample from a strategic plan and matching communications plan.

• Common misunderstandings

• Stories from the field – A success story

o Charts – Organizing Strategy and Communication Strategy

o Chart - The importance of networks

• Summary

• Glossary – Terms introduced in Chapter One

What do we mean by strategic public relations?

Simply said, public relations is relating to your publics – anyone you need to reach to achieve your program goals and objectives. In the communications arena, publics are called audiences. The mission of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, for instance, is to end domestic violence in Rhode Island. To this end, building on our experiences and those of our member organizations, RICADV has developed a strategic plan defining concrete goals and objectives: as we make progress, our strategic plan changes. [See Strategic Plan – Appendix]

Until an organization has an organizing strategy – a shared plan for what to accomplish and who to mobilize to accomplish it – there can be no public relations strategy. Public relations “never sits out there by itself” caution Karen Jeffreys and Alice Trimiew, the team that coordinates RICADV’s outreach to member agencies, supporters, and the broader communities served by RICADV. Public relations strategy grows from a clearly focused mission and a strategic plan. Even if an organization doesn’t have a written strategic plan, it has strategic goals and that’s how to start.”[2]

To be strategic about public relations means deciding consciously when and how to best communicate with the audiences whose support is critical. A strategic communication plan maximizes chances to reach these audiences. A strategic communications plan maximizes an organization’s chances of getting its message to its priority audiences. A public relations strategy asks,

• What are our goals?

• Who are the audiences we need to reach to achieve our goals?

• What is our message to this audience?

• What are the best tools for reaching this audience?

Public relations tools – we also call them tactics - can include many kinds of activities ranging from events, one-to-one conversations, and educational programs to paid advertising. Public relations tools can include direct media (i.e., materials you create and send directly to your publics without interference - newsletters, brochures, flyers, web-sites, direct mailings) as well as mass media (television, radio, newspapers, magazines and zines). Mass media promise larger audiences but access is controlled by gatekeepers – editors and reporters.

Public relations is the sum total of all the work to relate to your public/target audiences. What makes public relations “strategic” is the thoughtful targeting of “publics” - which constituents should you provide with what information/messages in order to move them to support your organization’s mission. In this manual, we will teach you how to make a strategic communications plan that utilizes these public relations tools.

EDITORS – SEE Chart in Hard Copy. This is a rough approximation.

Strategic Public

Relations Tools

What is strategy?

Before we can tackle strategic public relations, we should clarify what we mean by strategy. At the June 2002 Media Matters conference for domestic violence advocates, organizational consultant, Ruth McCambridge asked participants, “What is the end result that you want to have happen? Because if you don’t have that painted clearly in your mind, you tend to wander around.” In the case of domestic violence, the shared vision is a world in which homes are safe havens. Building on that shared vision, the mission of the Rhode Island Coalition against Domestic Violence is to end domestic violence in Rhode Island.

The mission becomes embodied in a strategic plan. As McCambridge explained to Media Matters,

First you set a vision, what you want to create, then you think about what you need to do differently, the steps you need to take, and who do you need to work with to accomplish this?

A strategic plan is a proposed path of action through which an organization mobilizes its resources to fulfill its mission. A successful strategy sets realistic goals taking into account the existing environment, the organization’s strengths and weaknesses.

A well-focused communications strategy grows from the organization’s mission, vision, and goals. It then translates these into a strategic communications plan. For every goal or objective in the strategic plan, a strategic communications plan asks, “With whom must we communicate to achieve this? What publics or audiences – allies, potential supporters, etc. - should we reach and mobilize to accomplish this?

A strategic communication plan asks, “How can we best reach our targeted audiences?” It then identifies the tools through which communication will occur. As the diagram on the previous page shows, mass media are among the many tools for reaching your publics. While important, however, mass media are not the only, nor are they always the best tool for reaching specific audiences. For example, our communication plan for reaching law enforcement audiences uses primarily tools are NOT mass media. [See next page.]

Public relations like legislation or direct services is an arena for moving the organization’s mission to end domestic violence. And like all arenas of work, public relations has short-term and long-term goals. A strategic communications plan will include short-term planning (like event planning) and long-term planning to move your organization to a more influential position vis-à-vis the media. For each strategic objective, it identifies audiences, tools for reaching that audience, key messages for that audience, and measures to evaluate whether the communication was successful.

BOX – A SAMPLE FROM RICADV’S STRATEGIC PLAN AND COMMUNICATION PLAN

ATTACHED HARD COPY:

A PAGE FROM RICADV

STRATEGIC PLAN[3]

1998 -- 2002

Goal 1: Influence systems and institutions to better serve the needs of domestic violence victims and survivors.

Objective A) Advocate for improvements in state and federal welfare system.

Objective B) Improve health care system’s response to domestic violence.

Objective C) Improve elder care system’s response to domestic violence.

Objective D) Continue to collaborate with criminal justice system (law

enforcement. prosecution, judiciary , probation and parole)

to improve responses to domestic violence.

THE MATCHING PAGE FROM

RICADV’S COMMUNICATION PLAN

-- 2002

The strategic plan proposes: Goal 1: Influence systems and institutions….

Objective D) Collaborate with criminal justice system – law enforcement, prosecution, judiciary, probation, parole.

The matching communications plan details:

1) Audience: Law enforcement

2) Tools to reach audience: (law enforcement)

• Participate regularly in VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) committees.

• Participate in police trainings as needed, and train member agencies to do same.

• Initiate phone check-ins with police trainers.

• Send targeted mailings containing relevant information and materials.

• Set up and code database of police departments and police allies.

• Build personal contacts with individual police as appropriate.

• Send sentiment cards as appropriate to individuals.

• Develop and disseminate key ring attachment with our 1-800 number.

• Send letter to municipal academy graduates with key ring and Helpline card.

• Send RICADV publications to relevant police.

• Involve police in RICADV events – conference, Good Sports, DVAM (Domestic Violence Awareness Month)

• Send holiday greetings to key police contacts.

• Send letter of thanks for their collaboration tied to statistics or an accomplishment (e.g., with your help, this is what we accomplished).

3) Key Messages:

• You are critical in the work to end domestic violence.

• RICADV is an important resource and ally.

• Keep doing your job to protect victims of domestic violence.

4) Evaluation: Note change in these statistics yearly.

• Number of contacts between RICADV and police departments

• Number of cases in court.

• Number of dismissals.

• Number of dual arrests.

• Number of DV calls without arrests.

• Input from member agencies re their local departments.

NB: Re eval: Do we need to explain how shifts in these numbers translate into progress?)

RICADV’s strategic plan outlines what it hopes to accomplish in any given year to work toward ending domestic violence in Rhode Island. To be strategic in public relations, RICADV applies its general strategic approach to its communications tasks including mass media. RICADV

Understands that media only change if we act; we seek openings for effective action;

Stresses participation; we mobilize people sharing our mission - end domestic violence.

Pools and expands resources via networking and coalitions;

Plans well-considered public relations actions (events, direct and mass media);

Reflects on what works; we learn from failures as well as successes.

Institutionalizes learning into communications systems that are our building blocks.

The diagram below shows how our overall strategy shapes our communication planning and how our public relations successes resulted from our establishing basic communications building blocks – media systems, media caucuses, strategic planning, relations with journalists. Underlying all are our shared mission and our core values described more in Chapters Two and Three.

CHART: Building Blocks toward Strategic Public Relations ( Confirm chart name)

X

X

You are here

SHARED MISSION – END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

CORE VALUES – RESPECT/EQUALITY/DIVERSITY

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE – LEARNING ORGANIZATION

Common misunderstandings

The diagram above represents the building blocks of the public relations model that RICADV has developed over seven years. It represents our understanding that media doesn’t just happen; it takes slow, patient work.

We find, however, that most activists and advocates think of public relations, media in particular, as magic. How organizations gain visibility and media success is murky, unclear to them. When we run communications workshops, we often begin by asking participants how they think the public learns about important issues? How does communication happen? Workshop participants commonly tell us:

Media just happens

“Media’s like tap water. I don’t know how water gets to my kitchen sink but it’s there when I turn the faucet.”

The black box/magic theory

“1) Insert press release in the black box, a.k.a. the media. 2) Press should come out the other side in two weeks. If press doesn’t come out, kick the box (the media’s corrupt) or kick yourself (you must have written a bad press release.)

Clark Kent

“It’s the reporters’ job to come to us. Famous reporters, like Clark Kent, didn’t sit around an office and wait for the news to come to them!”

Charisma

“My predecessor was REALLY charismatic. He could get media for any event. I’m just not charismatic like him.”

As a follow-up question, we ask why issues of interest to grassroots groups, non-profits and social movements seem so often to gain only limited visibility. Most common explanations offered are these:

Conspiracy

“The media are against us because we’re ... (fill in blank)”

Incompetence

“Reporters are lazy. They want someone else to do their work for them.”

Capitalism

“The press is free to the man who owns one. News’s about the powerful, not us.”

Connections

“It’s not what you know, but who you know.”

Sex Appeal

“Our event wasn’t flashy, sexy. We didn’t stand out from the crowd.”

Sensationalism

“There’s no easy solution to a chronic issue like poverty, so it’s not news.” “The media only cares about bad news, not good news.”

One assumption shared by the workshop participants quoted above is that communications is essentially about mass media. As a result of this assumption, organizations often make the mistake of restricting their communication planning to the arena of mass media. As stressed before, mass media are an important part but not the only part of communications.

Beyond that, each explanation holds some truth. Powerful corporations do control mainstream media institutions and news does focus on daily deeds of the powerful and famous. Technical proficiency does help as does knowing reporters (who may be lazy, or unschooled on your issue or simply overworked). Definitions of news are way too narrow. And so on and so on.

As with the fable of the blind men each describing one part of an elephant, any given statement is true but misleads if taken as a single explanation out of context. Even taken together, these barriers do not mean that there’s no possibility to act. They mean you have to be informed. You need to study the media as a system, find its nooks and crannies and start to pressure media for attention.

At heart all social change involves communication, and mass media is the central communication system – the big tent – of our times. Organizations don’t have the luxury of not communicating. And no one’s coming on a white horse to save the day. So get on with it.

At RICADV, we begin is with the most accessible media and work outward, layer by layer, to increase access to the media that reach our desired audiences. Over time, by being systematic and consolidating our learning, we gain strength. Expect this process to take five to seven years. To demonstrate this, we first offer a story of a success that occurred in our fifth year of building communication’s systems.

A Success Story

In the case that follows, we describe how the RICADV devoted time and resources to careful analysis, discussion, and networking with the intention of positioning its member organizations so as to maximize chances of a successful outcome, in this case, the resignation of a Rhode Island state representative arrested for beating up his girlfriend.

Located in Pawtucket, the Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center serves the densely populated Blackstone Valley including the towns of Pawtucket, Lincoln, Cumberland and Central Falls. On New Year’s Day, January 1,2000, Central Falls police arrested Michael Farrell, Central Fall’s state representative on domestic assault charges for punching his girl friend in the face. Blackstone Executive Director Linda Impagliazo learned of the incident three days later when the daily Pawtucket Times reported Farrell’s arrest in a front-page story.

“On Tuesday, January 4, 2000, I went to Memorial, our local hospital to receive a contribution for Blackstone’s work. As I waited for the hospital’s Community Relations Officer, I opened our area’s daily newspaper, The Pawtucket Times. And there, plastered across the front page in bold type, was the headline, “Rep. Farrell charged in assault on girlfriend.”

“I stood there, my mouth open in disbelief. I couldn’t wait to call Karen (Jeffreys, RICADV Director of Public Relations). As soon as I left the hospital, I called RICADV. I said, ‘Karen, we have to do something. I don’t know WHAT we can do, but we have to respond to this.’ We took off from there, working together.

“Karen asked me, ‘What do you want to do? Ask him to resign?’ I told her that I had to check with my Board of Directors before taking things that far, but short of calling for his resignation, I did want to make a strong statement. He needs to be held accountable!”

Blackstone and RICADV agreed that to be effective a reaction would have to be immediate. “We seized the moment,” said Karen,” If we had waited a day it would have been old news. I bagged everything I was doing that day and worked with Linda on this.”

Blackstone’s Director (Linda) had called RICADV (Karen) at 11 AM. By lunch they had conducted a media caucus with each other over the phone. The caucus clarified Blackstone’s message. They then co-wrote a press release and printed it on Blackstone’s stationery. Finally, RICADV faxed it to all the key media outlets in the state (radio, print, TV, etc).

The press release opened by expressing Blackstone’s disappointment and outrage over the state representative’s domestic violence arrest. It then stated that Farrell’s “alleged behavior calls to question his fitness for elected office. We question his ability to lead our community given these actions. If proven guilty, his behavior as a perpetrator of domestic violence sends the wrong message, especially to our young people who need to learn that there is no excuse for abuse.”

The press statement then commended the Central Falls police for sending the message that “all perpetrators of domestic violence will be held accountable.” It also praised the community residents who contacted police, ending the statement with the reminder that “domestic violence is everyone’s business.”

The next day, Wednesday, January 5th, a front page article in the Pawtucket Times reported, “Farrell’s ‘fitness for office’ questioned: Director of women’s shelter ‘outraged’ by state lawmaker’s alleged assault on girlfriend.” Both the article headline and text drew heavily from Impagliazo’s press statement. Farrell, for his part, declined to make a statement on the advice of counsel.

Meantime, Blackstone’s Director Impagliazo continued conversations with her Board of Directors. After some deliberation, they “decided that we were going to try to get this representative to resign, that this was unacceptable in our district, anywhere for that matter. We were going to work to get him to resign regardless of the consequences.”

When Farrell pleaded no contest sixteen days later (Thursday, January 20, 2000), Blackstone immediately released a press statement calling for his resignation that received coverage the next day [1-21-00] on the front pages of the Pawtucket Times and the Providence Journal. Both articles quoted the press statement extensively and both reported that this was Farrell’s second domestic violence offense, the first having been legally expunged in 1997.

An overall organizing strategy guides actions including media strategy

Building on this coverage, Blackstone had mapped a three-prong organizing campaign. The end goal was to force Farrell’s resignation. To this end, Blackstone adopted three tactics (actions) with RICADV support.

TACTICS/ACTIONS

1) Blackstone prepared a bilingual - Spanish/English - mailing to the 10,000 voters in Farrell’s District 73 asking them to call both Farrell and the leader of the RI General Assembly, John Harwood, demanding Farrell’s resignation.

2) Blackstone began to lobby key political figures including the Central Fall mayor and other legislators urging them to press for Farrell’s resignation as well.

3) Additionally, Blackstone and RICADV scheduled a rally for Thursday, January 27th at the State House rotunda.

RICADV supported Blackstone’s call for Farrell’s resignation and began to lobby its own contacts in the media and the statehouse.

The media pressure continued as well. In addition to print coverage, local radio talk show host, WPRO-AM’s Dan Yorke, took up the case and kept it alive interviewing the victim and polling listeners. With a rally scheduled and flyers about be mailed to his entire district, Farrell resigned on Tuesday, January 25, offering a “personal apology for my actions on New Year’s Day.” He continued, “I am seeking professional counseling for domestic abuse, alcohol abuse and anger management.” His resignation was reported in the Wednesday, January 26 Pawtucket Times and Providence Journal. Additionally the same day Providence Journal applauded his resignation in an editorial, “These batterers should go,” [1-26-00 PJ]

The case was not over however. On Thursday, January 27, Farrell claimed that the physical abuse had been “mutual,” and suggested to the Pawtucket Times that gender bias was at play: “Abuse is a two-way street. Unfortunately, abuse against men is never reported.” [1-27-00 PT] Continuing in this vein, three days later, Farrell announced in the statewide newspaper of record, the Providence Journal his intent to run in the special election being held for the legislative seat he had just vacated.

Again, Linda Impagliazo and Karen Jeffreys brainstormed over a response. Rather than challenging Farrell’s right to run, they crafted an extensive op-ed that ran on the Tuesday, February 1st Editorial Page of the Pawtucket Time. Mentioning Farrell only briefly at the beginning and end of the piece, Impagliazo used the Farrell case as a segue to inform readers of batterers’ urge to control their victims. She repeated that domestic violence is not a private matter [PT 2-1-00]. Facing staunch resistance, Farrell dropped the idea of running again.

LESSONS

1) TEAMWORK BUILT ON PRE-EXISTING COALITION TRUST. TRUST BUILDS ON DEMOCRATIC COALITION PRACTICES

Reflecting on the one-month whirlwind of events, Linda Impagliazo concludes, “I don’t think we could have done it without the help of the Coalition. In the first crisis reaction, I wasn’t sure how to respond, I knew it was wrong and we needed to do something. From developing our message to planning its dissemination, RICADV really guided Blackstone, and we had some real results. Our community really thanked us for that. This is one little story from many that I could tell about our work as a member agency of the coalition.”

This ability to work as a team had grown over the previous five years during which time the coalition and member organizations had teamed up on multiple campaigns. Member organizations trust that RICADV wants to make them strong, not steal the show. Trust was built by actively seeking member input, offering consistent support after surveying members to find out what kind of help would be useful, and by following members’ lead – even when RICADV was not fully in agreement. “I think of myself as working for the member groups, not simply for the statewide organization. It’s my job to make their work easier,” explains Karen Jeffreys. “When member groups get stronger, the whole coalition benefits. Our increasing reputation in the legislature after toppling Farrell was of use in the following years as we proposed legislation.”

2) RAPID RESPONSE DEPENDED ON SYSTEMS

In order to respond promptly to breaking news events, RICADV has develop rapid response systems that are available to all organizations participating in the statewide coalition. Blackstone here utilized RICADV’s rapid response system; this includes RICADV support in developing strategies, tactics and related messages; access to its regularly updated media data base; and faxing. At the member’s request, RICADV will help with follow-up calls to reporters and other logistics such as setting up a press conference or writing and placing an Op-Ed.

3) TEAMWORK AND SYSTEMS HELP ECONOMIES OF SCALE

Rapid response systems are not something a local group would use routinely. As such, they can’t afford to maintain them. Nor does a local group regularly have to deal with breaking news – a legislator battering a spouse or a domestic violence murder. Yet, having access to these systems means that Blackstone can take advantage of media opportunities when they happen.

RICADV’s builds its media systems keeping in mind that the member groups should be able to use them easily. For instance, RICADV’s media database is organized so that it can pull sub-lists of media that serve members’. This allowed RICADV to target key media in the Farrell case quickly and effortlessly.

As part of a statewide network, RICADV, Blackstone can be prepared for the unexpected. The statewide coalition benefits as well; wherever domestic violence-related events happen in the state, the coalition can provide journalists with background information and sources.

4) BE READY FOR OBSTACLES – LEARN FROM THE BUMPS IN THE ROAD

In hindsight, the whole process looks seamless and smooth. At the time, it felt more like a roller coaster ride. What got RICADV and Blackstone through the bumps in the road was their trust in each other, their knowledge and confidence based on past experience and their pre-existing relations with reporters. The Farrell case, for instance, involved a domestic violence victim in crisis, not a domestic violence survivor who has already gone through an extensive healing process. “This case made us realize the value of developing survivor spokespersons in collaboration with the survivors’ organization, SOAR. We cannot expect a victim in crisis, reeling from the tragedy and struggling for housing and legal advice, to speak on her own behalf.

RICADV’s communications infrastructure prepared it for Rapid Response

1) Existing relationships and systems.

a. Relationships

i. RICADV and Blackstone had pre-existing relationships with local and state political figures.

ii. Media: RICADV and Blackstone have relations with local and state media. RICADV had built relations with key reporters by being efficient, reliable and useful.

iii. Internally: RICADV and Blackstone had a pre-existing working relationship.

b. RICADV communication systems are set up for crisis response. Systems that kick into action include

i. Media caucus and spokesperson preparation

ii. RICADV support writing press statements

iii. Media data base, freshly updated. Data base included statewide contacts but also could target Blackstone area.

iv. Bilingual capacity.

v. Fax capability.

vi. Call back capability. RICADV had interns and staff trained to call back reporters to probe interest in every story.

vii. Preparation routine for talk radio.

viii. Petition – face-face communication

ix. Others? Op-ed writing.

c. Labor power needed

i. For direct mailing - Blackstone.

ii. For mass media outreach – RICADV.

iii. For lobbying (a special kind of one-one communication); Blackstone and RICADV.

iv. For media events – press conference, calls and talk shows. RICADV

v. For negotiating with relevant journalists. Blackstone and RICADV

vi. For debriefing after the campaign – Blackstone and RICADV.

RICADV’s networks grew over five years from a small start.[4]

INSERT: GROWING INFLUENCE BY STRENGTHENING NETWORKS

Coordinated community responses

It takes a whole community - many people in many organizations working in concert – to raise an issue.

Summary: Before you turn on the spotlight, plan your strategy.

Public relations work links an organization to the publics/audiences relevant for its mission. In effect, public relations work turns a spotlight on an organization’s work; it shows broader communities what the organization is doing. Public relations work draws attention to the organization’s good work, broadening its supporters. Successful newsmakers - even small organizations -- plan carefully, therefore, to make sure that when the public relations light goes on, that they are prepared to communicate their organization’s vision and goals and to communicate how broader publics can join them. Public relations highlights good work

There is no public relations strategy without a general organizing strategy

This manual will insist over and over again: public relations strategy does not stand alone,

Rather, it builds from an organization’s mission and overall strategy. If a group lacks a clear strategy, the media spotlight will highlight precisely that lack of direction. A communications strategy, we often tell workshop participants, is like the tail on a dog. What matter if the tail waves fast and furious, if the dog doesn’t know where it’s going?

CUT OR KEEP THIS BOX???? I’ve edited original down to basics.

BOX --Public relations strategy – Farrell Incident

1. Relation of campaign to main strategic goals.

RICADV’s mission is to end domestic violence in Rhode Island by protecting victims and holding batterers accountable. Does this campaign forward that?

a. Ousting Representative Farrell demonstrates that domestic violence is not private business. It is public business and the public servants need to set a positive example.

b. Secondly, this campaign demonstrates that no one is above the law. Victims can expect the police to hold any batterer accountable – even if he is famous or powerful

2. Lay of the land – Is this a good opportunity? Why? What are risks?

a. Representative Farrell does not have strong support in the State Legislature or in his district. He has not been particularly effective as a state representative.

b. In contrast, Blackstone has strong support from local political officials including the mayor and _____# state reps. RICADV also has strong contacts in the Statehouse and can lobby with and for Blackstone.

c. This campaign, done well, will build on and strengthen community ties.

3. Foreseeable obstacles – bumps in the road

a. Possible disadvantage. If we fail to oust him, he could be vindictive.

b. Possible disadvantage – specifics of case, victim, could be complicated.

c. Possible disadvantage – using talk radio, be prepared for talk show hosts’ particular axes to grind.

4. Resources - You and what army will do this

a. Blackstone’s Director has a strong, active Board willing to take risks on this.

b. Blackstone and RICADV have a good working relationship. Blackstone and RICADV staff can dedicate time to the campaign for Farrell’s resignation.

c. Community: (Linda? Karen?) Blackstone has ongoing relations with local community groups. This campaign may further strengthen these.

d. Political allies: Blackstone has good relations with Mayor and strong local reputation. RICADV is statewide coalition, has ongoing relations with key statehouse leaders. (??? Were there key legislators ready to jump on this?)

e. Media: RICADV and Blackstone have relations with local and state media.

.

5. Plan – Force resignation via a three prong pressure campaign - Three

tactics: direct organizing, lobbying and media pressure

a. Direct organizing – bilingual mailing to all residents; rally at Statehouse.

b. Lobbying – urge residents to call Farrell and Statehouse leaders.

c. Media – Radio talk shows, newspaper.

Note re glossary of terms

AKA (Annette: Karen: Alice): I think we could put in each chapter a glossary of the words introduced in that chapter. Question is whether we also need a master glossary in the appendix. One way around this would be to note in an index when each term is used highlighting the page on which it’s defined.

Index sample:

Audience: defined 1:4, 2-12, 3-25…

Glossary of terms for Chapter 1

Audiences: constituencies targeted by an organization’s communications efforts.

Building blocks: the components of communication; taken together, they create a communications infrastructure.

Communications infrastructure: the sum total of media systems and tools that create a sustainable capacity to communicate with target audiences.

Communications plan: a plan identifying audiences critical for reaching an organization’s strategic goals and mapping how the organization plans to reach them, what it wants to say, and how it will measure success.

Communication systems – the institutionalized processes and procedures that allow one to respond quickly and effectively to a communications need. Also called media systems

Public relations; the sum total of all work to communicate with targeted audiences or publics.

Public relations strategy; The relation-building work needed to carry out the organization’s overall strategy.

Public relations tools: any means or forms of communicating with one’s audiences/publics.

Publics; Groups of people that share a common interest or purpose. See audiences.

Strategic plan: A long-term map to focus allies and resources in pursuit of a common goal

Strategy from the Greek - - the art of generalship. Identifying and uniting groups with shared interests in the pursuit of a common goal.

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[1] Linnell, et. al. 2002. Executive Directors’ Guide for Successful Nonprofit Management.

[2] If your organization has not yet set strategic goals, this is where to begin. See “Strategic Planning and Thinking,” Chapter Five, Linnell, et. al. Executive Directors’ Guide.

[3] Do we want to put the entire strategic plan and communications plan in the Appendix? They’re very useful!!

If so, here’s where we should refer to appendix. Only drawback is length. I think each is at least 20 pp.

[4] It takes, on average, five to seven years for a social movement organization to develop a full-fledged communications infrastructure. Even this time frame assumes pre-existing strategy and organizational infrastructure.

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Health groups

Media contacts

Communication expands, Influence grows

GROWTH –

RELATIONSHIPS with JOURNALISTS

MESSAGE

DEVELOPMENT

LABOR POWER

MEDIA SYSTEMS

COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

STRATEGIC PLAN

Interns and volunteers:

Colleges

Schools

Elected Officials

Training institutes

Research University relations

Faith communities

Statewide planning committee for DVAM (Domestic Violence

Awareness

Month

SOAR, Sisters

Overcoming

Abusive Relationships

(organized survivors)

Welfare, and other human services allies who deal with DV

RICADV

networks

Local Rhode Island DV

organizations

Advertising (paid or not)– buses, billboards, TV, radio, print…

Events

Outreach – Phone calls, Meetings, emails, letters,

fliers

Mass Media

Direct Media:

Mostly printed materials - palm cards, posters, brochures, newsletters, etc.

Merchandise

Posters, T-shirts. Key chains, etc.

Web-site

Public

Awareness

Campaigns

Criminal justice groups - courts, police

Communication expands, Influence grows

GROWTH –

RELATIONSHIPS with JOURNALISTS

MESSAGE

DEVELOPMENT

LABOR POWER

MEDIA SYSTEMS

COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

STRATEGIC PLAN

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